The present invention generally relates to a fuel assembly and more particularly, to a vehicular fuel assembly which is adapted to receive, store, and selectively transport fuel to an engine.
Vehicular fuel assemblies are adapted to selectively receive and store fuel for use within and/or by an engine (i.e., an internal combustion type engine), effective to allow a vehicle to be desirably driven and maneuvered.
Conventionally, these assemblies include a tank into which volatile or vaporific fuel is selectively placed and several devices and/or components (i.e., a treatment canister) which are externally deployed from the tank and which are communicatively coupled to the tank. These devices and/or components cooperatively allow the fuel vapors to be selectively purged from the tank, treated, and controllably released into the ambient environment or atmosphere, effective to selectively and desirably reduce pressure within the tank, to allow the vapors emanating from currently received fuel to be treated, and to reduce the amount of undesirable constituents present within one or more of the devices and/or components.
While these prior or conventional fuel assemblies do desirably receive and store fuel, they suffer from some drawbacks. For example, some of the fuel vapors may undesirably escape from the externally deployed and previously delineated devices and components and/or from the conduits which couple these devices and/or components to the tank, thereby being released into the atmosphere. Moreover, some of the undesirable constituents that are extracted from the fuel may also be released into the atmosphere due to leaks within the treatment components or devices. The present invention addresses these drawbacks while concomitantly allowing fuel to be temporarily stored and communicated to an engine in an efficient and desired manner.
It is a first object of the present invention to provide a fuel assembly which overcomes at least some of the previously delineated drawbacks of prior fuel assemblies.
It is a second object of the present invention to provide a fuel assembly which overcomes at least some of the previously delineated drawbacks of prior fuel assemblies and which, by way of example and without limitation, reduces the likelihood of undesirable fuel emission.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, a fuel assembly is provided. The fuel assembly includes a first portion which selectively receives fuel; a second sealed portion; and a treatment member which is deployed within the second sealed portion and which communicates with the fuel.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, a method for receiving and storing fuel is provided. The method comprises the steps of providing a storage receptacle; creating a first sealed portion within the storage receptacle; creating a second sealed portion within the storage receptacle; placing fuel within the first sealed portion; and communicating the fuel to the second sealed portion.
These and other aspects, features, and embodiments of the present invention will become apparent from a reading of the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment of the invention and by reference to the following drawings.